


A Lost Heart

by CaptainAshe



Category: Fire Emblem: Fuukasetsugetsu | Fire Emblem: Three Houses
Genre: F/M, Fluff, Late Night Conversations, Romance, Sharing a Bed
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-10-31
Updated: 2020-10-31
Packaged: 2021-03-09 02:13:30
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,279
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/27306826
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/CaptainAshe/pseuds/CaptainAshe
Summary: Ashe laid his head on his new lover's chest, and awaited the sound of a steady heartbeat to lull him back to sleep... a sound that never came.Just a sweet little one-shot moment I thought of between Ashe and Byleth in the few weeks after he proposes. Enjoy!
Relationships: Ashe Duran | Ashe Ubert/My Unit | Byleth
Comments: 12
Kudos: 47





	A Lost Heart

The first thing that came into Ashe’s consciousness was an awareness that he was awake. In the dark room of Byleth’s quarters, he could hear the slight flickering of the candle that had yet to go out. 

Shuffling his legs lazily under the blankets, he could still feel her legs intertwined with his. He held his head up for a moment, just to catch a brief look at her sleeping peacefully in the low light. Her features were illuminated only slightly, with skin rosy with the warmth of a shared bed. It painted an angelic picture alongside her pale sea-foam green hair.

Ashe ever so gently, as if touching a new-born kitten, tucked some of the strands falling onto her face behind one ear. Enjoying the sight of his beloved wife to be, he finally gave into the pull of sleep and settled back down. Shifting his weight to rest his cheek on her chest. He couldn’t help the small smile on his face as her warmth on the skin contact sunk into the side of his face.

He had worked up the courage to propose just a few weeks ago, and yesterday they had taken a step further in their partnership. Although they had not yet… consummated their love (Ashe felt his cheek darken from the thought of it), last night they had slept next to each other, after a long night of deep conversation – punctuated just once, with a passionate, but cautious kiss at the end of the night. 

To many, Byleth was reserved and modest, but undoubtedly caring. An ashen demon in combat, she was to be the swords-woman of well-told legends for hundreds of years to come. But last night, in a private moment with Ashe she had allowed her own weaknesses to show. She was clearly feeling vulnerable to be so open after such admissions, but to Ashe she shone ever brighter, so much more wonderful for the knowledge that even the great Byleth – saviour of Fódlan could doubt herself.

He snuggled himself into the bare skin of her chest that was revealed above her sleep shirt, vowing to support her faithfully, now and for ever more as her husband. He listened for the soft sound of a sleeping heart-beat to lull him back to sleep.

“…”

A few long seconds passed, and Ashe shuffled slightly, trying to catch that soothing sound. Perhaps it was a little higher than he was expecting. He moved up, only for the top of his head to catch contact with her chin – it definitely wasn’t this high. He counted for a few full breath cycles of his own, until he fully focused on the only sounds in the room – the flickering candle, and his own heartbeat.

Suddenly the emergency of the situation caught up to him, as his hand placed onto her chest with more pressure now. He could not find a heart-beat on his beloved.

“By…” He whispered sharply, moving her gently. 

“…” 

He wasn’t sure he could hear her breathing.

“Byleth!” He said louder this time, getting up from the bed. 

“Oh Goddess this is serious… I need to-“ 

He scrambled about the room looking for the curtains to let the outer lanterns of the monastery light the toom. He mumbled frantically, gathering his outer clothes to seek help.

“Ashe…?” Byleth groaned softly.

“Oh! Byleth! You’re okay…” He crouched by the bed and rested his forehead into the crook of her neck, still disorientated by the sudden waking. He breathed a heavy sigh of relief, letting his own heartbeat slow back to a normal rhythm. 

“Yes… Ashe what’s going on?” She let one of her hands smooth the back of his hair.

“It’s…. perhaps it is silly. I couldn’t hear your heartbeat and I panicked. I must still have been pretty sleepy” 

Byleth let a beat pass for a moment, before goading Ashe back into bed next to her. He moved a little shyly, and set his head on the pillow, leaving more distance between them as before. As new partners they had not yet overcome the slight awkwardness of the transition from close friends to being romantic, and touch between them was still new. She encouraged him back to his position by stroking his cheek and pulling at his chin playfully, until his head lay on her shoulder.

“Ashe I…” 

She started, unsure how to finish it. Ashe looked up, his open eyes of brilliant green, so earnest and full of loyalty. The gentle burn of love behind their contact encouraged her to verbalise what she could not. 

“I don’t have a heart.”

Ashe chuckled slightly; his voice still heavy with sleep. Byleth too, smiled. She realised how ridiculous it must sound, and was in no rush for him to understand her true meaning.

“You’ve got one of the best hearts I know. Is this a worry of yours? Because of you know… your past. I know you struggle to show emotion, but I know you have a heart, I’ve” – he looked down, blushing – “…felt it. I love you.”

Byleth kissed his fluffy hair, and pushed some of the strands out of his eyes.

“I love you too, and thank you. However, I mean this more literally. In my father’s diary, he mentioned having me tested by a doctor when I was born. A pulse but no heartbeat.”

Ashe’s eyebrows drew together in confusion. 

“You… actually have no heart?”

“Yes. I have no heart.”

“How is that possible?”

Byleth looked down, shame unexpectedly tinging her expression.

“I don’t know. Perhaps I might actually be a demon.” 

She laughed in a self-deprecatory fashion, and let her eyes drop downcast. She fiddled with the fabric of the blanket. Ashe interlaced his fingers with her fidgeting digits, and brought them up to his lips. Gently he brushed her fingers over his lips and pressed a soft kiss to them. 

“You are not a demon, Byleth.”

Ashe could think of no deep and swooping poetry of which to lavish her with. He wished to verbally sweep her off her feet like the knights of his tales, and caress her mind with his sweet talk. But to actually attempt to do so made him fill with awkwardness, he was certain he would disappoint her. 

Instead he settled on showing his affection, and unwavering love for her through his actions instead. Acting a little bravely, he touched a light hand to the small of her back, and pulled her close until her face made contact with his shoulder. She shivered a sigh into the shape of his body, nestling underneath his head. He ran soothing circles along her back, feeling the soft cotton of her shirt. 

“You really don’t mind about this?”

Ashe barked out an incredulous laugh.

“There is nothing you could possibly be, or do that could stop me from loving you.”

“Hmm…” 

She felt the tension in her chest subside ever so slightly. Having finished with allowing her deeper thoughts out for the time being, she decided to lighten the mood. 

“What if I hid in the Monastery at night time and pretended to be a ghost…”

Ashe paled at the thought.

“You… you wouldn’t”

He shuddered slightly at the image conjured up, but thawed as Byleth let out a small, sleepy chuckle.

“I can’t promise anything.”

“Please promise me… my own heart can’t take that…” 

She nuzzled into his neck, and felt her eyelids grow heavy. Their slow breathing of expanding and releasing chests started to synchronise and slow. After a while of peace, the candle finally blew out.

“Goodnight Ashe, and thank you for being with me.” Byleth whispered into his shoulder.

“Goodnight By, and you’re always welcome.”

**Author's Note:**

> This probably is very bad, I wrote it all in one go without any beta reading or whatever but I hope you enjoyed it anyway! I love writing the early moments of relationships, but I actually kind of struggle to write Ashe, despite him being my absolute favourite character, and favourite pairing with Byleth. He is just so sweet and honest, I keep accidentally writing angst where it absolutely would not belong in his character... I'm naturally better at writing angsy bois (read: Felix). But I tried my best. Comments and constructive criticism always welcome! If you'd like to see any more one-shots with Ashe, or if you'd like me to continue this one along their relationship like I did for the Felix fic I did, just let me know. : D
> 
> (Psst, I have a fic planned for ~*sexy Ashe*~ where he is a badass in battle and Byleth swoons over it and then they make out and do stuff. Would anyone enjoy that? I'm trying to actually write interesting things rather than just fluff that is not deep at all haha. But it would probably take some time to finish.)


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